§ 5. Mr. Dalyellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the approximate cost of collecting£1 million in Income Tax,£1 million in tax from Surtax,£1 million in Capital Gains Tax,£1 million in Corporation Tax, and£1 million in Selective Employment Tax, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the number of civil servants involved in collecting various forms of taxation.
§ Mr. Harold LeverIt is not practicable to provide separate figures for each Inland Revenue tax. In 1966–67 collection of the four Inland Revenue taxes specified cost approximately£13,800 per million pounds, or 1.38 per cent. The administrative costs of Selective Employment Tax on both collection and repayment are expected this year to amount 273 to£3,852 per million pounds, or 0.385 per cent. Approximately 84,000 civil servants are employed for the purpose of administering taxes.
§ Mr. DalyellDoes my hon. Friend detect a certain inconsistency among those who both call for a reduction in the Civil Service and want to abolish the Selective Employment Tax?
§ Mr. David HowellWill the hon. Gentleman bear in mind nevertheless that approximately the same number of people are employed in the Federal Government of the United States in collecting tax from a population four times the size of ours, and is there not a lesson here for possible reductions in staff and increased use of mechanical and electronic means for assessing and collecting taxes?
§ Mr. LeverThat sort of supplementary question provides the maximum satisfaction to the questioner and the minimum possibility of providing information to the answerer.